Celebrating the Wonder of Play

As February comes to a close, we’re excited to share that in the month of March, we’ll be celebrating the Wonder of Play! With 100 years of stories, Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and National Geographic inspire play every day. From playing with a favorite Disney Mickey Mouse plush to epic lightsaber battles, we hope to encourage families to play together every day and create magical memories that will last a lifetime.

To inspire hours of play, we’ve pulled together a list of our favorite toys for families who want to join in and celebrate the Wonder of Play.

Kicking it off with a classic, Official Mickey Mouse Medium Soft Plush and Official Minnie Mouse Medium Soft Plush are oh-so-huggable and are made to keep kids smiling through hours of play.

For more fun with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, shopDisney also has the Mickey Mouse Fold-Up Play Set which lets your little builder create a 3D felt house for a cute little blue bird. Made out of soft material, it slips over the back of a chair to give your kiddo the feeling of having their own workbench just like a grownup. With the Pluto Disney Junior Vet Set, Pluto is ready for his check up! Your little one has everything they need to give him all the love and care in the world with this 11-piece play set.

Inspired by beloved heroines and their amazing stories, Disney Princess products encourage us to play and connect with our sense of adventure. And speaking of adventure! The LEGO Disney Princess Ultimate Adventure Castle available on shopDisney will spark everyone’s creativity, offering endless play possibilities with its buildable toy castle and mini figures featuring Moana, Ariel, Tiana, Rapunzel and Snow White. Plus, the interactive digital building instructions make the building extra fun.

But there are so many Disney Princess stories to explore during playtime! You can imagine voyaging across the sea with Moana, setting out on all kinds of sailing adventures from the safety of your own couch-turned-canoe. The Disney Princess My Friend Moana Doll is the perfect companion for such seafaring excursions. She’s dressed in her signature adventure outfit and comes with an adorable headband. But if land adventures are your preference, you can travel down the bayou and get inspired to chase your dreams with the Disney Princess Tiana Fashion Doll. She wears her signature outfit featuring a unique print and sparkling accents that add a touch of magic to the dress. Young stylists can even change the doll’s look, styling her hair with the removable tiara!

Imagination and play can truly take you anywhere – even the magical kingdom of Arendelle. Whether you are deep in the Enchanted Forest or right in the middle of your backyard, you can step out on an exciting journey with Disney “Frozen” products like the Disney Frozen 2 Anna Fashion Doll and Disney Frozen Elsa Fashion Doll, and imagine endless stories featuring the favorite sister duo.

Celebrate individuality, self-expression, and your love of Disney, with Disney ily 4EVER, an aspirational line of diverse dolls available on shopDisney inspired by iconic Disney characters and modern fashions. The collection consists of six dolls styled in modern, on-trend outfits inspired by beloved Disney Princess characters Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Snow White, and Tiana.

But we can’t talk about play time and storytelling without thinking of Pixar’s Lightning McQueen and our friends over at Radiator Springs! They sure know a lot about exploration, with Mater even dreaming up a prehistoric setting for some of his latest adventures in the Disney+ series “Cars on the Road.” The Cars On the Road Dino Playground is inspired by Mater’s daydream in the show, with a huge chomping Dino sitting in the center of the playset, ready to take a bite out of hero Cave Lightning McQueen. Kids can use the launcher to make the jump across the lava field — can the vehicle avoid the mouth of the ferocious creature or will the dino catch it in the air?

Playtime can also take the form of spending time with those you care about, dreaming up amazing adventures together. The Disney Encanto 100 Piece Puzzle is a great way to gather friends and family for some quality time. You can piece together this colorful extra-large 100-piece jigsaw puzzle featuring the family Madrigal, from Walt Disney Animations Studios’ “Encanto”!

Train in the ways of the Force with the Star Wars Lightsaber Forge Obi-Wan Kenobi Extendable Blue Lightsaber or the Star Wars Lightsaber Forge Darth Vader Electronic Extendable Red Lightsaber. Featuring a light-up blade, cap, cover, and core, each Lightsaber has parts compatible across Hasbro’s entire Lightsaber Forge line — allowing young Jedi to mix and match for the ultimate adventure.

Aspiring scientists will absolutely love National Geographic’s Earth Science Kit from the Mega Science Series by Blue Marble. This STEM kit offers more than 15 easy-to-follow experiments and activities, including building erupting volcanoes, dueling water tornadoes, growing crystals, and so much more. The kit also includes 10 genuine rock specimens, a great addition to any young explorer’s collection!

The LEGO Marvel Thanos Mech Armor build-and-play toy is unstoppable when you put the universe’s most powerful super villain, Thanos, into the cockpit of his mech suit with his iconic double-sided sword, Infinity Gauntlet and Infinity Stones.

We’ve also put together a list of some of our favorite places to play in our parks, too! See how you can celebrate the Wonder of Play:

After a year of transformation, Mickey’s Toontown will reopen on March 19 in Disneyland park, inviting families to play in new and different ways in the home of Mickey Mouse and his friends! In Goofy’s neck of the woods, you’ll find Goofy’s How-To-Play Yard, which incorporates a whimsical sound garden where kids will discover new ways to make wacky noises, as well as enjoy an all-new, elevated clubhouse. In Goofy’s House, junior candymakers can help transform drips of honey that fall from a beehive into brightly-colored candies with a fun, interactive candy-making contraption that only Goofy could imagine! At Donald’s Duck Pond, kids will love making a splash! Imagine larger-than-life spinning water lilies, balance beams and rocking toys that will help little ones get the wiggles out. In CenTOONial Park — an all-new green space — you’ll find two new interactive play experiences; a beautiful fountain featuring water tables designed for play that invite guests to have a sensory experience, plus a nearby dreaming tree with sculpted tree roots providing an opportunity for children to crawl and explore. With the new green spaces and all the interactive experiences, families are encouraged to put their imaginations to work and play together amid Mickey’s Toontown’s whimsical surroundings.

And at Mickey’s House and Minnie’s House, you’ll once again be able to step right into their homes and discover special surprises and ways to play in every room. You may even be able to visit with Mickey and Minnie while you’re there, should they be home!

For even more fun, you may want to “play” on the attractions in the land! Head to the El CapiTOON Theater for the premiere of “Perfect Picnic,” where you’ll board Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and find yourself on a zany, out-of-control adventure filled with surprising twists and turns that the entire family will enjoy.

For those wanting to get a little “nutty,” you can head over to Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster, where Mickey’s Toontown’s favorite tinkerer, Gadget Hackwrench, has created a one-of-a-kind, fun-sized coaster for the town’s tiniest citizens. And don’t forget Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin, where you can board Lenny the Cab and spin through the streets and alleys of Toontown as you follow the adventures of Roger Rabbit.

There are so many ways to experience the Wonder of Play at the Walt Disney World Resort. Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, kids can learn and play by setting out on a series of nature-themed challenges and collect badges to become an official Wilderness Explorer or by interacting with a variety of animals at the Affection Section.

Need to let out some energy? Climb through a fishing net, explore a secret, treasure-filled cave and more in Ariel’s playground at Tokyo Disney Resort. If you’re looking for a more creative outlet, look no further. Help Goofy redecorate his room at Goofy’s Paint ‘n’ Play House! Just point the easy-to-use Toontone Splat Master paint applicators, at the wall or furniture and voila. Create a masterpiece with help from the whole family.

Create your own fairy-tale story in Storybook Playroom at the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. Enjoy enchanting activities, games, crafts, toys and puzzles that inspire creativity, good times and laughter for the whole family. Also, be sure to wind down from a long day at the park with our charming miniature theater that serves as the perfect stage for screenings of classic Disney movies.

You’ve got a friend or two waiting for you in Worlds of Pixar at Disneyland Paris. Explore this awe-inspiring land with colorful attractions, restaurants and character meet and greets. As you enter, be on the lookout for some of your favorite characters like Buzz Lightyear, Woody and Remy. Feeling courageous? Hop on Slinky Dog Zigzag Spin! This wacky attraction takes the whole family for a ride on the back of Slinky Dog for some loopy laps as he tries to catch his tail. If you’re feeling adventurous, jump on the Cars Road Trip experience which takes you on a journey along the legendary Route 66. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for photo ops with your favorite “Cars” heroes like Lightning Mcqueen, Mater and the rest of the Radiator Springs team!

To share more about your favorite Disney memories and experiences, post on social media and tag #SharetheWonder and #Disney100 … no moment of magic is too small. And, as we celebrate Disney100, stay tuned to see how the celebration continues throughout the year!